The U.S. Mint on Wednesday ended production of the penny, a change made to save money and because the 1-cent coin that could once buy a snack or a piece of candy had become increasingly irrelevant. The last pennies were struck at the mint in Philadelphia, where the country's smallest denomination coins have been produced since 1793, a year after Congress passed the Coinage Act. Officials said the final few pennies would be auctioned off.
The board of Sweden's ruling Moderate is calling on the party to vote on launching an inquiry into switch from the krona to the euro, although the party's vice-chair, finance minister Elisabeth Svantesson, doesn't think it will happen any time soon. An inquiry as to whether Sweden should join the Euro is among the points the party board has put on the agenda for discussion at the party's annual congress in Vasteras between October 23rd and October 26th.